India-Australia ties based on mutual trust and respect: PM Modi in Sydney mega event

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday announced that India will open a consulate in Brisbane to fulfil the long-pending demand by the diaspora.
Modi made the announcement while addressing a packed Qudos Bank Arena here. The event was also attended by his Australian counterpart Anthony Albanese.
India currently has three consulates in Sydney, Melbourne and Perth. Brisbane currently has an Honorary Consulate of India.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his Australian counterpart Anthony Albanese share a hug as he concludes his address to the Indian diaspora in Sydney.

In Sydney, Australia PM Narendra Modi says, "Our lifestyles may be different but now Yoga also connects us. We have been connected due to cricket for long. But now tennis and films are also connecting us. We might prepare food in different manners but Masterchef is connecting us now."

In the same year, I had the opportunity to welcome Prime Minister @AlboMPji on Indian soil in Ahmedabad. Today he has supported me in unveiling the foundation stone of 'Little India' here: PM 

At the community event in Sydney, Australia, Prime Minister Narendra Modi says, "When I came here in 2014, I made a promise to you that you will not have to wait for 28 years for an Indian Prime Minister. So, here I am in Sydney once again."

Prime Minister Narendra Modi is addressing the Indian diaspora at the community event in Sydney. According to reports, at least 20,000 people of the Indian-origin are present at Qudos Bank Arena to listen to the charismatic leader. 

Addressing the community event in Sydney, Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese termed PM Modi as "Boss." "The last time I saw someone on this stage was Bruce Springsteen and he did not get the welcome that Prime Minister Modi has got. Prime Minister Modi is the boss," Albanese added. 

Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese arrived at the Qudos Bank Arena in Sydney amid a rousing welcome. PM Modi will address the Indian diaspora here.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi received a 'traditional welcome' at Qudos Bank Arena in Sydney. Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese was also with him. Meanwhile, PM Modi will address the members of the Indian diaspora at a community event today. 

Prime Minister Narendra Modi arrived at Qudos Bank Arena in Sydney where he will address the members of the Indian diaspora at a community event shortly. Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese is also with him.

The Cultural program is underway at Qudos Bank Arena in Sydney where Prime Minister Narendra Modi will arrive shortly for a community event.

Members of the Indian diaspora expressed their excitement for Prime Minister Narendra Modi's community event that will be held at Qudos Bank Arena in Sydney. Shashi Prabha said, "All of us are excited for PM Modi to arrive. That is the most important thing for us at the moment."

Prime Minister Narendra Modi's community event to be held shortly at Qudos Bank Arena in Sydney, Australia. 

Visuals from the venue: 

Prime Minister Narendra Modi is certainly one of the most visible leaders that India has had in a lifetime according to Nobel laureate Brian Paul Schmidt after a meeting with the Indian leader in the Australian city of Sydney. "Prime Minister Modi is certainly one of the most visible leaders that India has had in my lifetime, and just talking to him, I can see why. He's very personable and really takes an interest in people when he talks to them. And I think that's probably true of whoever he talks to, whether it's the President of the United States or someone that he meets for the first time from society," Schmidt said.

Prime Minister Modi received a grand welcome when he landed in Sunday to commence his three-day visit to Australia. Among those who had gathered to greet PM Modi included 91-year-old Dr Navamani Chandra Bose who journeyed from Melbourne to meet the Indian prime minister in Sydney. She was full of energy and passion and very happy to travel by "Modi Airways." "Very happy today and it's going to be a great event," said the nonagenarian who arrived by the 'Modi Airways,' a special charted flight that took off from Melbourne Tullamarine Airport.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi along with his Australian counterpart Anthony Albanese will attend a special community event here to celebrate the country's dynamic, diverse Indian diaspora. He will address the community members at the event at Sydney's Qudos Bank Arena. The event's organisers, the Indian Australian Diaspora Foundation (IADF), are expecting a large turnout.

Australian singer Guy Sebastian met Prime Minister Narendra Modi in Sydney today. He also sang a few lines from his song 'Standing With You'. "It is an incredible honour to meet his excellency. We talked about a whole bunch of things. He was so warm and kind and listened to everything with such respect. We talked about music and he showed me a song which has gone viral, called 'Naatu Naatu'. So, it's something that I am going to go and learn. We talked about my mother who is from Kanpur...", Sebastian added. 

Before the community event in Sydney today, ‘Welcome Modi’ was spelt by a recreational aircraft’s contrails in the city. Last year, on December 29, India and Australia implemented an economic cooperation and trade agreement (ECTA). Notably, India-Australia bilateral trade exceeded USD 31 billion last financial year.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi met Dr Andrew Forrest, Executive Chairman of Fortescue Future Industries, in Sydney. After the meeting, Forrest said, "Fossil fuel sector has only limited time to run and it must be replaced with a fuel which causes no harm and can do everything which coal, oil and gas can do. That is something that PM is clearly a global champion on and I found the PM to be the global govt partner of the global industry partner to promote green hydrogen across the world." 

PM Narendra Modi interacted with Gina Rinehart, Executive Chairman of Hancock Prospecting, in Sydney today. During the visit, the Prime Ministers will attend a community event in Sydney to celebrate Australia's dynamic and diverse Indian diaspora. 

Prime Minister Narendra Modi also met Paul Schroder, CEO of  Australian Super, in Sydney. Calling his Australian counterpart Anthony Albanese a "dear friend," PM Modi said that the bilateral relationship between New Delhi and Canberra was being nourished by the fast-growing Indian diaspora residing there. Pitching India among the top investment destinations in the world, the PM invited AustralianSuper to partner in India’s growth story, a spokesperson of the Ministry of External Affairs said. 

Describing the relationship between India and Australia, Prime Minister Narendra Modi has said that the high degree of mutual trust between the two nations has naturally translated into greater cooperation over time, especially on defence and security matters. In an exclusive interview with 'The Australian' newspaper, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said that he wants to elevate relations with Australia to the "next level," which would entail deeper defence ties to support the creation of an "open and free" Indo-Pacific.